Benjamin Hall

Benjamin Hall (8 November 1802-27 April 1867) was President of the Board of Health from 14 October 1854 to 13 August 1855, preceding William Cowper-Temple, and First Commissioner of Works from 21 July 1855 to 21 February 1858, succeeding William Molesworth and preceding John Manners. He was a Whig MP and a notable civil engineer, and the "Big Ben" clock tower was named after him.

Biography
Benjamin Hall was born in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales on 8 November 1802, the son of an industrialist. He became Sheriff of Monmouthshire in 1826 and MP in May 1831, serving as a Whig. He attacked the shameless exploitation of church revenues, parliamentary election expenses, nepotism, and the inability of Welsh people to pray in their own language. Hall served as President of the Board of Health from 1854 to 1855 and as First Commissioner of Works from 1855 to 1858, and he oversaw the construction of a clock tower at the Palace of Westminster; this tower was nicknamed "Big Ben" in his honor. From 1861 to 1867, he served as Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire, and he died in Westminster, London in 1867 at the age of 64.